


A Tremor of Pain

by Aurya



Series: A Breath of Wilderness [8]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Female Link, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2021-01-03 21:09:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21186035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurya/pseuds/Aurya
Summary: In Divine Beast Vah Rudania, a Champion's spirit endures...





	1. Climb to Goron City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once I get going, though, it's very easy to keep writing.
> 
> Link's equipment inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]  
-Iron Sledgehammer  
-Soldier's Broadsword  
-[Soldier's Spear]  
-Rusty Halberd  
-Rusty Broadsword  
-Rusty Claymore  
-Ice Rod  
-[Soldier's Bow]  
-[Arrow ×50]  
-Fire Arrow ×4  
-Ice Arrow ×1  
-Rusty Shield  
-Knight's Shield  
-[Chapion's Tunic]  
-[Hylian Hood]  
-[Hylian Trousers]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

"No, please, no!"

Link heard the cries before she saw their owners; two women attacked by Bokoblins, one blue and one of spotted skin. She quickly spurred Lugria to gallop faster; the Bokoblins saw her a moment before they were near enough to attack the innocents, and quickly screamed out as she drew her spear. One was knocked to the ground from an iron tip to the shoulder; the other was tackled full-body by her horse, and Link quickly leapt from the saddle and came down weapon-first, finishing off the blue one.

The spotted one was on its feet by the time her spear was out of the ground; she promptly sidestepped its leaping swing, her fingers going to her Sheikah Slate, and her weapon vanished, replaced by a magical rod she had seized from an Ice Wizzrobe on her way here. One swing of the weapon threw ice at her opponent, freezing it solid; she promptly stepped forward and struck it with the weapon itself, shattering the ice and throwing the Bokoblin aside. Another freeze, another swing; when she made to freeze it again, she found ice failing to fly from the tip of her weapon, and glanced down to discover it was lacking the icy glow at its tip.

"Oh, wonderful," she muttered, her gaze going up to the Bokoblin.

Another few taps on her Slate replaced the rod with a broadsword; she leapt aside from the Bokoblin's swing, and the world slowed as she charged forward, bombarding it with swings until it was screaming in its demise.

She drew the ice rod again and hurled it aside before turning to the victims. "Are you two alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, thanks," one of the girls prompted. "We owe you one!"

She started off, prompting the other to sigh. "It was my sister's harebrained idea to hunt for truffles here that got us into this mess," she muttered. "It's dangerous to be traveling alone!"

"See if you can't curb her enthusiasm," Link suggested; then she whistled for Lugria, and as her horse approached the swung herself into the saddle.

A stable was rather near the site of her battle; it was a short ride to the front counter, during which her Sheikah Sensor kept ringing to tell her there was a shrine nearby. After stabling Lugria, she stepped back, drawing out her Sheikah Slate to try and pinpoint where the shrine was.

She'd just caught sight of the structure when a woman with a broom stepped up to her. "Hello," she prompted. "If you're stopping here, you must be headed to Goron City?"

"In time, yeah," Link confirmed, hooking her Slate back on her belt.

"I thought so," the woman admitted. "But are you really going up Death Mountain dressed like that?"

Link glanced down at herself. "What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?"

The stablehand shook her head. "See, this is how tourists get a bad rep," she mused. "That place is sheer cliff after sheer cliff, and it gets so hot past the second checkpoint that your body catches fire. Never mind any weapon with more wood than steel is gonna be long useless before you get to Goron City. If you're going up there, you need to be properly equipped - metal swords, metal shields, a metal bow with a wet string, and armour that's gonna hold back the heat."

"Where the hell can I get armour like that?" Link asked.

"Goron merchants tend to come by here with armour that'll fight back the heat," the stablehand admitted. Then her face fell. "But... now that you mention it... we haven't seen them around lately."

"Oh, no..." Link's gaze turned up the mountain.

There was a long moment of quiet; then the stablehand sighed. "Tell you what," she insisted, "a traveler on his way down taught me how to make fireproof elixirs a couple weeks ago. Drink one of these, and your body is protected against the burning air for a while. Can you let me sell you a few?"

"I don't intend to be charred up before I get to the city," Link agreed. "How much?"

"What would you say to 150 Rupees for three? That should last you to the Goron armour shop, at least.

"Deal."

* * *

Finding the shrine and coming back out found it dark out; Link decided not to try her luck with sheer cliffs in the dark and stayed at the inn overnight. The next morning, she armed herself with her sharpest broadsword and a heavy metal shield she'd picked up from a few guys with odd opinions on how shields are meant to be used, and started off towards Goron City - on foot.

Starting up the nearest path put her at a dead-end on the riverside - although the Lizalfos she found there had some metal weapons she decided to take with her, and she stumbled across an ore deposit whose spoils she suspected would help her afford the Goron armour. The proper path wasn't any drier - there were a few steaming pools just past a sign that appeared to be a checkpoint on the trail, and stumbling into one of those pools had her feeling rejuvenated.

"Hot springs," Link mused as she climbed out of the pool. "Guess heat isn't just a threat."

What she found just past the springs was a rather less pleasant discovery; Guardians. Not just inert Guardian corpses, either, but an active crawler that caught sight of her at nearly the same time as she caught sight of it. Thankfully, the trail was uneven enough to give her cover; she managed to get something between her and its targeting before it fired at her, wait for it to decide its target was lost, and then slip around a massive stone arch before it happened to wander into seeing her again. When she found herself in a tunnel of sorts, she reckoned she was safely out of the Guardian's threat - but mostly because she had a different threat.

Keese - flaming Keese. It wasn't hot enough to threaten her bow, yet; she loosed a few arrows and shot the creatures out of the air before they managed to burn her. There were also a few glowing ore deposits that she smashed apart for their riches, and some blazing Chuchus that she decided not to waste her weapons on, instead dropping bombs to blow them off.

Once she was out of the tunnel, she caught sight of a Sheikah tower - which, she reckoned, would give her a good view of the quickest route to the city. Before she managed to get near enough to try climbing, however, she found herself approaching another checkpoint; it had a warning about the heat printed on it, and she quickly drew out one of the elixirs she'd purchased at the stable and drained it.

And promptly fought a coughing fit. "Tastes like flint," she muttered.

There was lava flowing around here - which made the Guardian crawling nearby all the more of a threat. Link managed to get behind a cliff, climb it, and glide towards the tower, narrowly avoiding a beam by dropping in mid-flight when it started to fire; once she was safely behind cover, she let the Guardian wander away before making to climb again. Evidently, monsters were a lot less judgy about temperature than Hylians were; she'd just gotten to a point she was certain the Guardian wouldn't threaten her when she found herself looking at a Lizalfos between her and the tower.

She broke her broadsword finishing it off; fortunately, it dropped a weapon she was able to claim in recompense. After that much threat, climbing the tower was a simple matter; once she had the map updated from the pedestal at the top, she turned around to look over Death Mountain.

She couldn't see Goron City from here - but she could see something moving on the side of the volcano.

Something huge, made of stone... and lined with a threatening red light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fireproofing is so much harder to come by than spice and chill. The only way to get a fireproofing effect is an elixir with the Death Mountain lizards and butterflies, or the Flamebreaker Armour (or technically the helmet you can get from Daruk's amiibo, but you get my point). There's no proper meals that can get you fireproofing, and there's no earrings in Gerudo Town with a fireproofing effect. If you're gonna be fireproofed, you're either sacrificing a good meal or you're dressed in the bulkiest gear in Hyrule.
> 
> Recap of my terms and conditions for this series:  
-All amiibo are forbidden, as are the contents of all EX Chests.  
-If Link falls asleep, in a bed, he must rest within the next 48 hours. If he sits by a campfire, he must rest within the next 24.  
-Upon first entry of a Divine Beast, weapon/shield/bow inventory must only consist of those which were designed by the race whose Champion piloted that Divine Beast (i.e. Zora equipment for Vah Ruta).  
-The game must be saved before entering a Divine Beast. Upon the acquisition of a Champion's weapon, the game must be loaded from that save. Once this has been done to each Divine Beast at least once, they are free to be properly completed.  
-The Master Sword must be drawn with no more than thirteen hearts.  
-The Horned Statue is a jackass and not to be spoken to.  
-Having a Great Fairy strengthen your garb qualifies as adultery, and Link is faithful.  
-The blood moon must not trigger. (Draco's trope snark: #SignatureStyle)


	2. The Goron Champion's Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of hoping the sequel shows us what Goron City is like when Vah Rudania ISN'T making Death Mountain even hotter than it already is, maybe we'll be able to stroll around without needing to chug elixirs or wear plates thicker than a claymore.
> 
> Link's equipment inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-Rusty Halberd  
-[Rusty Broadsword]  
-Rusty Claymore  
-Lizal Tri-Boomerang  
-Lizal Forked Boomerang  
-Knight's Claymore  
-Soldier's Bow  
-[Arrow ×50]  
-Fire Arrow ×4  
-Ice Arrow ×11  
-[Rusty Shield]  
-Rusty Shield  
-Knight's Shield  
-Steel Lizal Shield  
-[Champion's Tunic]  
-[Hylian Hood]  
-[Hylian Trousers]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

The sun was just starting to brighten the night sky as Link found herself approaching Goron City - time flies when you're desperately trying not to land in flowing molten rock, and adrenaline made sure that she wasn't terribly at risk of passing out soon. As she climbed up the trail, Death Mountain shook; Link stumbled trying to keep her footing and glanced up to find stones falling. Fortunately, their trajectory meant that a few stone arcs along the sides of the path provided satisfactory shelter; once the bombardment had faded, she continued up the trail, trying to get a good look at the mountain.

The cause was visible in short order - the Divine Beast she'd seen crawling on the side of the volcano was currently near the peak of the back-lit mountain, and as she observed she heard a low, undulating roar echo down from where it stood. Link narrowed her gaze as it cried out again and again; there was something in that roar that told her this threat, already so significant, was the Divine Beast holding back, just barely.

Once the cries faded out, Link started up towards the city. There was an archway of sorts that she assumed to be the city limits, and another just past it that was on closer inspection a bridge between rocky walls. A Goron was standing there with a heavy, crushing weapon over his shoulder, as she approached, he seemed to regard her curiously.

"Well, lookee here... Welcome, Master Link!"

Link yelped, stepping back. "H-How did you...?"

The Goron's expression became one of confusion. "What do ya mean?" he asked. Then, when Link shared his confusion; "More importantly, though, I hope ya made it past that shower without gettin' hurt!" He shook his head. "To be honest, we haven't had too many visitors here since those magma bombs started fallin' from the sky. I'd be bored to tears if I didn't pass the time greetin' every traveler as one of the long-lost Champions."

He laughed lightly, and Link chuckled awkwardly. "I... see," she mused. "So you just call every Hylian who comes this way by Link?"

"Yeah, that's the old Hylian Champion who fought alongside Lord Daruk," the Goron confirmed. "And I greet every Gerudo, Rito, and Zora by- Well, actually, we don't get a lot of Rito or Zora up here." He shook his head. "If ya wanna know more about the Champions, talk to the Boss. He lives further in town."

"...Maybe later," Link insisted. "Where's the armour shop?" She'd downed her last fireproof elixir earlier, and wanted to get some longer-lasting fire protection before it wore off.

He gave her the directions she was looking for; Ripped and Shredded had a sign like clothing shops anywhere else in Hyrule, but the displays were covered in heavy-looking plates that looked like they were made of _stone_. From what the Goron at the counter told her, it was only so hot around the city because of the Divine Beast Vah Rudania, although Link suspected that was more what history had to say about it than anything anybody knew first-hand.

If it was this hot down here, she didn't want to try her luck atop the mountain; Link was more than happy to blow 3300 Rupees on a full Flamebreaker series. She wouldn't be winning any prizes for fashionability, but she felt a lot more secure - even so, she didn't want to try her luck sleeping in full plate, and an inquiry towards a Gerudo woman dressed for kinder climates directed her to a young Goron selling elixirs.

She found the inn, asked the Goron to wake her in just a few hours, and decided to spring for a massage; after the Goron masseur worked her back, she crashed harder than she ever remembered sleeping.

Once she woke, Link donned her protective gear and took a quick tour of Goron City. There was a shrine at the top of the town, a general store that had a skewed opinion of what was a reasonable stock of arrows (and didn't carry _normal_ arrows, although she suspected they'd combust in this heat anyways), and a few greatswords lying around that were **blunt**. Not only that, but they had strange protrusions on certain corners that looked like it was meant to strengthen the striking point; they were more hammers than they were swords, designed to crush what they struck rather than cut it.

Half an hour from noon, she decided to pay the 'Boss' a visit; the innkeeps had pointed out his home when she'd inquired about a room, and she found a rather beefy, bearded Goron standing in front of it, peering up at the mountain. As Link was about to speak up, he slammed his fists together angrily. "That blasted Rudania!"

"Woah," Link murmured. "What's up?"

"With Rudania runnin' wild recently," the Goron muttered, "Death Mountain's eruptions have gotten real bad. You see him stompin' around up there? They say it used to _protect_ us a hundred years ago, but look at it now! All it does is mess up our mining operations! I can't count the number of times we've had to fire at that fiend and get him to cut it out! **But it always comes back!**"

"Okay, settle down, big gu- Woah!" A nasty crack from the Goron caught Link by surprise. "Are you alright?"

The Goron turned around. "It's just some back pain," he groaned. Then, turning to Link; "Wait, who are you?"

"I'm... a traveler," Link settled, deciding not to give her name after her encounter at the city entrance.

That put a grin on the Goron's face. "Is that so? You came all the way up here to pay your respects to me? I like you already, brother!"

Link opened her mouth to object to the comment... and then her gaze drifted around the city. _Come to think of it... I don't think I've ever seen a female Goron..._

"**Well, my name's Bludo!**" This guy was clearly the vocal sort, at least when his body was willing to cooperate. "I'm the great Goron Boss who's fearsome enough to silence a crying child!" he boasted. "Or, to make a silenced child cry, either way. Yes, it is none other than I, Bludo!" He shook his head. "I was plannin' to drive off Rudania like I always do, but then this blasted pain in my back flared up outta nowhere..."

"Ouch." Link had a strange feeling she knew exactly what his emotions were doing. "That's gonna bite - getting all set to do something right and then your body stops cooperating."

"You got no idea," Bludo admitted. "Blasted Yunobo... When's he gonna get back?" Link's next question must have been plain on her face, as he quickly answered it before she had the chance to ask. "He's a young Goron who helps me drive off Rudania. He went to grab some painkillers for my back, but he hasn't come back..."

Link remembered the shower she'd evaded earlier. "You think he might have gotten into trouble somewhere?" she asked. "Where did he go?"

"Up to the abandoned North Mine," Bludo replied. "But he's probably just off wastin' time."

"Don't make assumptions," Link reprimanded. "I'm gonna go look for him. If he's fine, I'll send him your way."

Bludo nodded. "Thanks, traveler."

* * *

The North Mine was past the shrine Link had been to earlier; as she passed the warp gate, she found an Octorok under a small boulder whose attention she had.

"Of course, while I don't have a bow I can use," Link muttered. Octoroks could only be fought at long range; if she got close, they'd retreat underground again. She sighed, tapping on her slate to equip a couple rusted pieces she'd picked up on her way to the city. "I'm not wasting my good stuff on these little- Ah, what the hell!?"

The Octorok had started _inhaling_, with enough force to pull her rusted old sword and shield out of her hands. The sword, being more aerodynamic, got into range of its mouth first; the Octorok reeled for a moment, seemed to _munch_ on it for a moment, and then _spat_ it back at her, causing Link to leap away. With a curse, she realized she'd have to take a different approach, she grabbed her Sheikah Slate and tapped for its runes, causing a bomb to appear in her other hand. When the Octorock started inhaling again, she hurled the bomb at it; once it had vanished into the creature's maw, she tapped the surface of her slate, causing it to blast inside.

With a sigh, she glanced back at her rusted sword before starting forward - and quickly double-took when she realized it _wasn't_ rusted anymore. The sword looked like new - and more than that, it was a very _high-quality_ sword, at that. She picked it up, looking over it curiously.

"Woah..." She ran her hand over the flat of the blade. "So these things just... make the rusted stuff good again?"

Another Octorok gave her the chance to refurbish the rest of her rusty weapons, although none of them were as high-quality as the sword (and the shields ended up in the magma, although they seemed have been wooden shields covered in age anyways). She found a Goron at a fence in the mine, who didn't seem to be too attentive to passers-by; she elected not to give him trouble, looking over the mine.

Lava had swamped this place, although Link reckoned her paraglider would be able to keep her from hitting the flows. There were also Lizalfos everywhere - Link promptly decided she needed a way to deal with them at range. After a moment, she eyed something curious - a large mound with a barrel protruding out of it.

"Is that... a cannon?"

She stepped up to it - and the Goron on watch quickly yelped at her. "Hey! Stop that! That's Boss' cannon! Don't you dare touch that lever!"

Link turned to him. "Boss sent me," she called back. "I'm looking for Yunobo."

"Yunobo?" The Goron pointed towards the far end of the mine. "Yunobo headed to the vault to get painkillers for the boss."

"Vault?" Link followed the way he was pointing; she drew off her Sheikah Slate and used the scope to get a good look at the structure. "That thing's closed in a rockslide," she muttered. Then, back to the Goron on watch; "If he's out there, I can't just leave him trapped."

She kicked the lever he had pointed out, and was surprised when the cannon started to _rotate_. There was an opening nearby - similar to those she'd found in a few of the shrines in Hyrule - and she manifested one of her round bombs and set it into the gap, letting it roll into place inside. Then she took a step back and hit the detonator - and from the barrel of the cannon flew a _massive_ stone that tumbled through the air and slammed into a Lizalfos watch tower.

"Oooh," she hummed appreciatively. "This just got easier."

There wasn't just one cannon, either; there were cannons all over the mine, letting her fire her way through most - though not all - of the Lizalfos in her way. One of them dropped a steel-bodied bow with a string that wasn't catching fire, finally giving her a ranged option in the heat; her arrows didn't burn fast enough to lack impact, a few ice arrows did the trick for long-range, and when archery was insufficient, the Lizalfos' own boomerangs were designed to hit the target and return to the thrower.

If she aimed them right.

One cannon was in range of the rockfall at the 'vault'; Link managed to set off her bombs in mid-turn, clearing the blockage, before gliding to the entrance. A Goron was standing in there, cowering against the opposite wall and muttering to himself.

Warily, Link stepped inside. "Hey, you oka-"

"Yeargh!" The Goron - whose voice told her he wasn't quite an adult, despite his size - spun around and raised his hand in the process, backhanding Link and leaving her reeling out the vault. "Who-? Huh?" Link had a lot of ways to make sure she wasn't mistaken for a threat, but she couldn't take the credit for being sprawled on the ground, helmet halfway off her head, her shield, bow, and boomerang tumbling into the lava at her side. "Oh, hey, it's a Hylian!"

"Y-Yeah..." Link managed to get to her feet and found her helmet was on backwards. "You could say that."

"Were you the one who broke through the crag to rescue me, goro?"

Link reached behind her head, finding the grating of the helmet was directly behind her. "More or less. Are you Yunobo?"

"Oh? Yeah, I am."

"Boss sent me to come find you," Link replied, trying to turn her helmet around and discovering the bottom rim was designed to rest on her shoulders without rotating.

"I sure am glad he did, goro," Yunobo admitted. "I came to get some painkillers for Boss, but a magma bomb caused a rock slide, sealing the entrance, goro. How did you break through that, goro?"

Link laughed. "I swung a hammer until it made an explosion," she retorted sarcastically. "What do you think? I used the cannons."

Yunobo gave a yelp of surprise. "You used Boss' cannon?" he exclaimed. "That thing is so difficult to use. I thought only Boss could handle it!"

There was a smile on his face when Link managed to reorient her helmet, giving her a clear look at the Goron - and she was rather surprised to see that he was wearing a scarf of sorts that was the same colour as the tunic that she had been told was made specially for her as a Champion. "Um."

"Oh, sorry," Yunobo insisted, his smile falling, "I gotta run. But do come by and see the Boss later, okay? He may be gruff, but he always repays a favour."

"Y-Yeah," Link agreed, "sure."

Yunobo dashed past her, breaking into a roll, and Link's gaze fell. "Was that... goddess azure?"

* * *

It was late at night when Link made it back to Goron City; Bludo was in a much happier mood when she did, and had a grin on his face when she got near. "Ah, it's the tiny traveler!" he greeted. "Yunobo told me all about how you helped him, brother!"

"Still can't get used to that," Link muttered under the rim of her helmet.

"Here's a reward for ya," Bludo prompted, holding out a hand full of fireproof elixirs. "Can't sleep much in Flamebreaker, can ya?"

"Not really, no," Link agreed, accepting the elixirs.

"Okay, then. I took my painkillers, now it's time to meet up with Yunobo." He shook his head. "I mean no disrespect to Daruk's legacy, but if I'm not there to give that Rudania a good walloping-"

"Daruk?" Now Link remembered what the Goron at the entrance had mentioned; that the 'Hylian Champion' had fought along 'Lord Daruk' a hundred years ago. "Who is...?"

"Are ya really tellin' me ya don't know about Daruk?" Bludo asked. "The Goron Champion?!" He pointed to a nearby cliff face. "See that? We carved that cliff in his image. That's Daruk!"

Link followed his direction; the moon was shining down on the cliff, which was indeed carved in the shape of a mighty Goron surrounded by younglings.

The boil of the magma around her faded to nothing... and images flickered in Link's mind.

* * *

_"I'll protect this land of ours to the death!"_

* * *

"...with you? Hylians sure are strange..."

Bludo's muttering filled Link's ears as she was brought back to reality; she turned to find Bludo looking at her curiously. "Anyways, Yunobo is actually a descendant of Lord Daruk. That's why that slacker can even use Daruk's Protection! He uses it to protect himself when we fire him at Rudania. That's the only way we can chase that blasted beast away. We have no choice because normal cannonballs are no good against him."

"A descendant of Daruk?" Link mused. "Is that why...?" She made a motion around her neck.

"You know that colour, do ya?" Bludo mused. "Yeah, goddess azure. Used to be, wearin' that colour was special for Champions. After they were lost a hundred years ago, people are pretty much willin' to do whatever to keep their memory safe, so Yunobo gets to wear it as Daruk's descendant." He pounded his fists together. "Alright, that's enough outta m- _Arrgh!"_

Link yelped as he reached for his back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just peachy," Bludo groaned. "Dumb traveler. Of course I'm not okay." He shook his head. "Looks like I'm not goin' anywhere today. I hate to put you on the spot, but... can ya please go tell Yunobo that I'm gonna have to cancel for today? He should be at Eldin Bridge."

"S-Sure," Link mused. "Maybe you should hit up the inn, get a massage. If painkillers aren't helping..."

"That might not be such a bad idea," Bludo admitted.

Link's mind was going in too many directions for her to get a room herself; she decided to go find Yunobo and give him the news.

Halfway up Goron City, her thoughts changed - and she considered maybe enlisting his help for herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You ever notice something on your Xth time through a game and feel like an idiot for not noticing it sooner? Because that happened just now, while I was writing this.


	3. Song of Cannons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered naming this after a song WITH cannons, but decided against it.
> 
> Link's equipment inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-[Knight's Broadsword]  
-Cobble Crusher  
-Cobble Crusher  
-Stone Smasher  
-Drillshaft  
-[Arrow ×36]  
-Fire Arrow ×11  
-Ice Arrow ×27  
-[Knight's Shield]  
-Champion's Tunic  
-Hylian Hood  
-Hylian Trousers  
-[Flamebreaker Boots]  
-[Flamebreaker Armour]  
-[Flamebreaker Helm]  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

When Link was done with Vah Rudania, she wanted to meet the guy responsible for Goron architecture and tell him that mine carts should be made to move with something other than **_explosives_**. The sun was well up as she approached the Bridge of Eldin, having broken a few weapons and claimed a few more on her way here. She no longer had anything that would serve as a bow, but had a spear that looked like a mining tool and few Goron greatswords in reserve.

She only had one shield, and was hoping it would survive the trip up to Rudania - or at least wouldn't break before her only broadsword did.

As she got close to the bridge, she found Yunobo standing there - surrounded in a glow that dispersed any doubts she had about him being Daruk's descendant, and under attack by a few Moblins. One of them was bare-handed; the other was wielding another of the mining-style spears. Sure enough, her shield _did_ outlast her sword - which broke on the same blow that finished off the second Moblin; with a sigh, she slung the shield over her a back as Yunobo's guard faded. "Wow! You're crazy strong, goro!" he cheered.

"You could say that," Link accepted, picking up the Moblin's mining spear. "Bad news, though - Boss isn't coming." Then, when Yunobo's expression screamed 'why'; "His back pain isn't going anywhere."

Yunobo moaned in despair. "After all the trouble we went through to get them... the painkillers didn't even work, goro..."

Link sighed. "Yeah, seems that way." Then, looking up at the mountain; "Look, Yunobo, can I ask you a favour?"

"Sure, goro," Yunobo agreed. "You've done me a bunch'a favours already. I'd be happy to make it up to you, however you-"

"I want to board Rudania."

There was enough distance between them this time that Link wasn't in danger when Yunobo's hands moved up in response. "What!? You're gonna try to board the Divine Beast? Who do you think you are - Lord Daruk!?"

"Look who's talking," Link countered. "I heard from the Boss - you're Daruk's descendant, right? That's why you get to wear that scarf, and why you've got that defensive aura, and everything. I need your help."

"I... don't really get it," Yunobo admitted, "but I'm sure you have your reasons, goro. Problem is, good ol' Boss raised the Bridge of Eldin to make sure that mean Divine Beast couldn't get over here."

Link looked over at the bridge; it was covered in what looked like halves of archery targets. "How do we lower the bridge?"

"Boss would normally use the cannon- Hey!" Yunobo realized. "It occurs to me that _you_ know how to use the cannons, goro! Maybe we can get across..." He smiled. "Okay, let's just do what I do to help boss sometimes. That means I'm gonna be the cannonball, and you'll launch me, goro!"

"You're going to **what?**" Link exclaimed.

"I've got Daruk's Protection, goro!" Yunobo insisted. "That means I can smash into anything, and it won't hurt one bit!"

Link's gaze fell; she'd seen Daruk tank falling boulders with that glow. Falling into a boulder himself couldn't possibly be much worse... "Alright," she conceded. "Let me take aim first, though."

She lined up the barrel of the cannon with the bridge; Yunobo leapt into the barrel as she dropped a bomb into the port. Then, taking a deep breath, she hit the detonator - and Yunobo flew into the bridge and bounced straight up, landing a dozen paces away from where the bridge made contact with the opposite side.

"We did it... Yunobo seemed a bit dazed, but otherwise none the worse for wear. "See that, goro... If we put our heads together... anything is possible!"

"I guess so," Link chuckled. "Come on, let's go."

The two of them crossed the bridge.

And immediately, Rudania roared. Link yelped as the mountain trembled - though not enough to cause any showers - and several ports seemed to open on the Divine Beast's back; from them emerged small things that seemed to be built like Guardians, and they descended around the path up to the Divine Beast, illuminating the surface below them.

"Oh, yikes," Yunobo muttered.

"What are those?" Link asked.

"Rudania's sentries, goro," Yunobo muttered. "They're always a nuisance, no matter where it is or how many of them there are. If one finds you, Rudania will go nuts, which will cause Death Mountain to erupt, goro." He shook his head. "I... I always get spotted, and then magma bombs come raining down..."

Link looked at them. They looked a little like Guardians, but they were so much more compact... "Can they hear?"

Yunobo turned to her. "Hear?"

"Like, when you make noise," Link insisted. "Can the sentries hear you?"

"I... don't think so, goro," Yunobo mused.

"Then..." Link raised her hands to her mouth and whistled - three quick notes. "When I do that, stop where you are, and..." She whistled one long note, and then a quick high one. "...come after me when I give you that one."

Yunobo smiled. "Okay," he mused. "I'll count on you to tell me when it's safe to go!" Then, as Link turned around; "Even though it's... kind of like calling a horse, goro..."

The first one was crossing over an outcropping of rock that made it easy to evade; Link had Yunobo halt underneath it and found the cliff on the other side near enough to throw bombs at the sentry from. The next one was not only positioned very near a similarly tall cliff, but that cliff had boulders atop it to push into its propellors. They found a cannon _very_ near to Rudania, and Link proceeded to drop a bomb in and aim it before Yunobo leapt into the barrel.

He slammed into Rudania's head, and bounced back; the Divine Beast roared, and made to climb higher.

"It's working," Link told Yunobo as he landed. "Rudania's climbing higher; we should be able to corner it at the peak."

"Are you sure you're prepared for that?" Yunobo asked.

"I'm not wearing a full suit of stone plate mail because it shows off my curves," Link retorted, and she started up the trail.

The set of sentries were patrolling around a cliff face that was lacking in boulders, but did have a few very satisfying metal crates; Link had Yunobo halt and seized the steel with Magnesis before crushing their propellors. The next one had its beam fixed on a narrow valley; a metal bridge nearby served the same purposes as the crates, although Link would later realized she could have just covered the gap to obscure its beam and let her and Yunobo walk under it. A Moblin was guarding the next cannon; Link didn't even bother to finish it off herself, and instead knocked it over the mountainside to let gravity do the job before aiming the cannon and loading it up.

Rudania climbed still higher, and as Yunobo returned Link leapt down from the cannon. "Nice shot!"

"Yeah!" Yunobo seemed to be adjusting to the impacts. "And it didn't hurt one bit!"

"I doubt that much," Link argued, "but you're weathering pretty well!"

The remaining sentries were patrolling updrafts; Link had Yunobo halting, climbed cliff face near the first two, and discovered she didn't have the accuracy to bomb them from so high above. Instead, she mounted her paraglider and dropped the bombs from above; once they were finished, she called Yunobo to follow her forward. Another pair of metal crates saved her the trouble of finding a high enough surface to do the same to the next three; another pair of Moblins were at the last cannon, and one broke her shield before she was able to send it off the edge as she did the first.

"No shield, no bow, and all my weapons need two hands," Link muttered. "Yeah, let's board a Divine Beast with these armaments."

Yunobo leapt into the cannon as she was aiming it; she dropped her bomb in, made sure she didn't have any gear in reserve that could have made her life easier, and hit the detonator. The impact got much more of a reaction out of Rudania than the last two; steam burst from its puts, its feet briefly stopped burning, and it kept roaring as it climbed up to the peak, diving into the crater with enough force to send lava flying in all directions.

"That was so cool!" Yunobo cheered.

"Well, damn," Link muttered as she stepped up to peer inside. "I was kinda hoping he'd crawl down the opposite slope." She turned to Yunobo. "Think this is gonna be enough to stop me from overheating?"

"If that doesn't," Yunobo prompted, "nothing will. Come on, it's time to finish the job!"

Link stopped him. "Wait here," she insisted. "You're not 'finishing' anything. I need to get Rudania back."

Yunobo started. "Get him 'back' how?"

In response, Link charged the rim of the crater; Yunobo yelped as she leapt inside, and her paraglider manifested between her hands, letting her aim her descent towards the tail of the Divine Beast.

* * *

**Sheikah Slate authenticated. Travel gate registered to map.**

Link had a feeling the tail was the intended access point, and her suspicions were proven correct when she landed on the travel gate - a bit bigger than she thought it was from the bird's-eye view - and found a pedestal for the Sheikah Slate to be recognized at. As she hooked the Slate on her hip, a voice echoed around her - a rough-sounding voice.

The Goron Champion's voice.

_"Hey, little guy! Long time no see."_

She raised her gaze in surprise. "Daruk!"

_"I always knew you'd come back,"_ Daruk applauded. _"You know, I never stopped believing in you! Glad to see you came here prepared for the trouble!"_

"I don't know about 'prepared'," Link admitted, remembering her sparse armaments. "But I'm definitely ready to handle the heat. And that means I should be able to get Rudania out of Ganon's hands. Claws." She remembered the figure Ganon had posed around Hyrule Castle. "Hooves?"

_"Claws. Definitely claws."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's kinda fun writing the Divine Beast entries like they're each the first. I bet the devs had a field day with the Champions' scripts.


	4. Scourge of Vah Rudania/Daruk's Flame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With a Stone Smasher equipped, I wrecked this thing so hard you'd think I had the Master Sword against my second boss. I had to stop myself from taking every opening for a flurry rush just to make this chapter not look like the most hideous curb-stomp in Hyrule. (That's supposed to be for Kogha; he's easy no matter what order.)
> 
> Link's equipment inventory at the start of this chapter [currently equipped]:  
-[Stone Smasher]  
-Cobble Crusher  
-Cobble Crusher  
-Drillshaft  
-Drillshaft  
-Torch  
-[Arrow ×44]  
-Fire Arrow ×11  
-Ice Arrow ×27  
(assorted armour which varies depending on the order you are reading this series, and will not be relevant to this fic)

Darkness.

The smoke was so thick in the Death Mountain crater that Link could not tell from the sky whether it was day or night, but the magma provided light enough; so when she stepped out onto the back of Divine Beast Vah Rudania, and there was such darkness that she could not see the magma's glow, she knew it was not because the sun had set over the mountain. This was unnatural - this was an attack.

Standing before the control unit was a humanoid figure - but its body seemed to shift, and writhe, and _burn_ with an unholy fire.

**"The Goron people... So strong, so enduring. Waters dirty, forests burn, villages are ruined. But the mountains have stood eternal, for countless eras."**

It turned to face Link, and she saw lightless voids of white where its eyes should have been.

**"And will for countless more."**

Rudania shook - not the movement of the Divine Beast, nor the stirring of the volcano in which it lay. The being before Link dissipated into the air, and Malice began to swirl around the control unit; as Link charged forward, the light of Sheikah technology began to flow out of it. It gathered on the opposite side of the unit, and she circled around to find some_thing_ manifesting in the smoke.

A crushing blade.

A clawed hand.

A flame.

And a towering face that glared at Link through a single, pale blue eye.

_"Watch yourself now!"_ Daruk warned. _"That ugly pain in the crag is Ganon's handiwork! Thing got the best of me a hundred years ago."_

Link lifted the Stone Smasher off her back, bringing it down at her side. "So," she spat. "You got anything for finesse, or can I take you down just by staying away from your force?"

The creature raised its crushing blade, and Link hoisted her greatsword in return.

"Excellent."

The moment the blade started to come down, Link hopped aside, and her opponent didn't have time to raise its weapon again before she lunged forward. One swing, and its momentum amplified the second; its own momentum strengthened the third, and she leapt into the air and brought the greatsword down in a heavy blow before Ganon recoiled. No sooner had she hopped back than it brought the blade back to the side, and Link only flipped back, letting the blade pass under her boots before landing, charging, and bringing her weapon into another pair of blows. The Malice soared away, and a gathering of flames appeared above its claws; it swung its hand forward, and the flames scattered, leaving Link diving aside.

When she was upright again, the Malice was approaching her once more; it drew its weapon of light across its body, and she leapt away. This time, however, it continued with the momentum, spinning around to swing at her again, and she leapt away once more as it continued to turn. A third leap, and it stopped swinging, she promptly closed the distance, delivering one swing and then another before her opponent raised its blade; she leapt aside from another downward blow, and then brought her sword into its side twice more.

Its body faded to light before she could land a third, and Link watched as it soared above the control unit; a flame appeared in its claws, and this time it held the flame to its blade. The weapon's light faded from a bright blue to a violent red, hot like the magma of the volcano; then the Malice spread its arms, and a sphere of fire manifested around it with its eye in the center.

_"That flaming ball is dangerous!"_ Daruk cautioned.

"So there is some finesse," Link muttered.

Her opponent turned to light again, and the flames seemed to dissipate; then it reappeared off Rudania's leg, and the flames surged back. It raised its claws above its head, and heat seemed to surge towards it from all directions of the volcano; Link was trying to figure out how to attack it through the flames when it flung the gathered fire forward; Link dove behind one of the arches on Rudania's back, and the flames burst so hard she could feel it around the stone and _through her plate_.

"Dammit," she muttered, "that heat..."

An idea struck as the creature faded to light once again; she drew her Sheikah Slate off her hip, tapping through her runes, and when it reappeared over one of Rudania's joints she manifested a bomb in one hand. When the heat began to gather towards the Malice, she let her bomb join it; once it was within the sphere of fire, she set it off, and the blast flung the creature to the Divine Beast's back - sans guard. She charged forward with her Stone Smasher at the ready, landing two hits while it was on the floor and then one more while it tried to rise before her fourth swing passed through it as it faded out.

It reappeared clear away, throwing another sphere of flame at her - without gathering the fire around it this time. She put a pillar between her and the blaze, and then put some distance between her and the pillar; once it burst, she made sure there was nothing between her and her opponent as it drifted to close range. It swung its blade at her, and this time she could feel the heat even as she leapt away; she landed two swing before the Malice moved away, and tried to swing at her again.

Another evasion, another two swings; and this time a red line connected her and her opponent before she swung at it two more times.

That last hit was all it could take; the creature's weapon faded, leaving the flames with which it had been infused to disperse in the air as its holder started to lift up. It writhed, fighting its own pain, and its body started to bloat as light pierced its body in all directions; Link moved her greatsword between herself and the opponent, not for any illusions of defense, but to keep herself from going blind as the light filled the crater of Death Mountain like a blast welling in a cannon.

Only after the light had subsided did she lower the weapon, finding herself with no company but Rudania's.

The control unit had been bared; slowly, cautiously, Link approached it, drawing her Sheikah Slate from her hip. Cautious, uncertain, she set it against the Guidance Stone on the front of the unit - and it began to shine, slowly pulsing with a far more benevolent light.

"Hey!"

The Hylian Champion turned; this voice sounded much more solid.

"Great work, little guy!"

Standing there was a Goron with an outstanding mane of white that would put Lynels to shame, wrapped in a sash of goddess azure... and surrounded by spectral flames that stood out against the smoke upon Rudania.

"Daruk..."

A grin rose on Link's face; with a groan, she propped the greatsword onto her back again. "I have no idea how you can swing around anything this heavy on a regular basis," she praised.

"It's got a lot to do with how heavy you are yourself," Daruk countered. "One of those swords isn't any heavy compared to the average Goron than a good spear is compared to the average Zora. That's not so hard to swing, is it?"

She shrugged as Daruk shook his head. "I feel like I should apologize," he insisted. "I was doing all I could to protect Hyrule when that thing got the best of me. I owe you big for this. Sorry that me resting with the rubble caused such a big mess!"

"What are you gonna do now?" Link asked.

"Rudania is back under our control," Daruk observed. "That means our century-old Ganon-beat-down plan can finally go into effect! I'm gonna take this down the mountain - I'll have a better shot at Ganon, there. And then, once you're in Hyrule Castle, we're gonna light that thing up!" He slammed his fist into his palm defiantly; then he aimed a finger at Link. "I wanna give you something. After all you've been up to in Goron City, maybe you've heard of something they call Daruk's Protection?"

He slapped his hands together; Link raised a hand before her as she would to guard with a shield, and a glow lit up around her that she knew with a certainty could stop falling rocks and devastating impacts. She glanced at the barrier in amazement before lowering her posture, her gaze going down to her hands; she touched her fists to each other, and the glow flashed around her a couple times before she looked up to Daruk.

"From this moment forth," he proclaimed, "the power of protection - from the depths of my soul - now lives inside you." He pounded his chest with one hand in proclamation.

Link nodded. "Thanks," she sighed. "That means a lot to me."

The glow of the magma around her started to recede; Link's body was being pulled away, the Divine Beast delivering her to confirm she was still alive.

"Good luck, little guy - and give my regards to the princess."


End file.
